Oisin McConville knows his nephew's abilities better than anyone.
Armagh stunned the country with a sensational All-Ireland semi-final victory over Kerry after extra-time on Saturday afternoon.
The Orchard looked to be up against it when Paul Murphy's goal put Kerry four up after 48 minutes but, true to style, Armagh stayed fighting.
They shot back with a goal of their own eight minutes later through man-marker supremo Barry McCambridge and from there Kerry needed a Dylan Geaney score to force extra-time.
But buoyed by their brilliant bench with Jarly Óg Burns, Ross McQuillan and Stefan Campbell all impressing, Armagh were much the better team in extra-time.
Kerry were cramping up all over the field and Armagh seemed to be getting stronger. In the end, they won by two, 1-18 t0 1-16 with Rian O'Neill having played a barnstorming role in their victory.
First you have the brave pass he played to Conor Turbitt to put them two up with time almost gone. While many players would have held possession, O'Neill was courage and sense of adventure paid off.
"They said we couldn't win tight games. We won a tight game today!"
Armagh's Rian O'Neill gives his immediate reaction to reaching the All-Ireland final.
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— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 13, 2024
Then, no more than a minute later, he caught a ball under his own cross-bar as Kerry came hunting down a late goal. But most eye-catching of all was his score from the guts of 50 yards from play in the 67th minute of the game.
It put them one up and almost sealed the win for them at the time.
Speaking on RTÉ's The Saturday Game, Peter Canavan explained how he heard a shout from O'Neill's uncle McConville before he took on the shot.
Read More: “I’m Still Not Ready For The Pipe And Slippers”: Mickey Harte Is Not Done With Management.
"In the studio beside us, just before he got the ball, there was a lone voice in the studio," said Canavan.
"It was his uncle Oisin McConville.
"Oisin shouted shoot, before he even had the ball in his hand.
"Any other player wouldn't even have been thinking of shooting from that position," said Canavan.
O'Neill has kicked big scores in the past, against Galway two years ago, against Monaghan last year again, but this was as good as any of them. He is regarded as one of the purest ball-strikers in the game and he proved it once again on the biggest stage.
"How many players would have the audacity to shoot in that situation?" asked Canavan.
"They said we couldn't win tight games. We won a tight game today!"
Armagh's Rian O'Neill gives his immediate reaction to reaching the All-Ireland final.
📲 Updates: https://t.co/l0d9Fp4Vsl
📺 Watch live: @RTE2 & @RTEplayer: https://t.co/ZfZ9mA9XTY
📻 @rteradio1 pic.twitter.com/rqorcuf5qq
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 13, 2024
